Following in the footsteps of her Grandfather and Father, Carol started her working life at J S Whites. She began working as a tracer at the age of 16 and completed a two-year apprenticeship there.

The majority of drawings that Carol worked on were Naval ships, but a couple of years after finishing her apprenticeship she moved over to Plessey where she worked in the Drawing Office for ten years.

In 1973, after winning Radio Solent Super Cook Competition, Carol and her husband bought The Derrington Hotel.